Part III: Positive Behavior Supports, Differentiated Instruction, and Assistive Technology
Roles and Skill Sets of Special Education Teachers: 1.Evidence Based-Intervention * Subject Knowledge * Instructional strategies across subjects * Direct Instruction * Proficiency and accuracy 2.Differentiation * Adaptations (accommodations, modifications) * Differentiation strategies * Cultural relevance * Learning strategies instruction * Peer-tutoring models * Academic engaged time 3.Behavioral Support * Behavior and classroom management * Positive behavioral supports * Self-management instruction * Cultural considerations * Functional behavioral assessment * Behavior intervention planning (BIP) 4.Data Based Decisions * Effective decision-making * Data analysis * Skills assessment * Curriculum based assessment * Eligibility of special education 5.Collaboration * Professional communication * Collaborative teaching * Parent-school partnerships * Cultural and linguistic considerations * IDEA tenets and regulations * State and district referral and assessment processes Essential Factors that Contribute to a Positive Learning Environment: * Sense of community—Students need to feel welcome in a classroom as an important member of this community—this is especially important in inclusive settings. The teacher plays a crucial role in creating an accepting and nurturing classroom environment. * Personal territory—Students and teachers alike need a sense of their own turf. This may include a place to keep personal possessions as well as a place to be alone to think and to be separate from the group. * Authentic motivation—A classroom setting in which students are motivated to participate in the learning process has three fundamental factors: collaboration (learning together in teams), content (relevant and meaningful), and choice (opportunities to make a decision about what is learned) (Kohn, 1993). * Classroom flexibility—Patterns of use within a classroom need not be fixed or predetermined. The environment must allow itself to be manipulated by its users so that spaces can be changed. * Environmental acknowledgment—A school facility must allow its occupants to stamp their presence on it. It must be ready to accept the graphic presentation of student activities and interests so that the building reflects who the students are and how they are doing. * Flexible seating and work areas—Classrooms should acknowledge that people work in a variety of natural postures (e.g., sitting up straight, lounging, leaning, and standing). It should offer a variety of seating and work-surface heights to accommodate individual styles. * Barrier-free—The environment must be able to accommodate students whose disabilities demand special attention (e.g., physical or vision needs). Common Techniques and Approaches Used in Positive Behavior Supports: # Premack Principle * Asserts that a low probability activity can be increased in frequency when paired with a high-probability activity. 2. Contingency Contracting * Can be oral or written, they state the work assignment that the worker has contracted to complete and the consequences the instructor will provide upon completion. 3.Group Contingencies * Peer mediated interventions and can include independent contingencies, dependent contingencies, and interdependent contingencies. 4.Token Economies * Based on items symbolizing actual reinforcers, much like the use of monetary awards. Evidence Based Instructional Interventions: * Systematic Instruction- requires that teachers focus on instruction of a carefully selected and useful set of skills and that those skills are organized into a logical sequence for instruction. Students consequently know what is expected and why it is important. It requires a planned and ordered process to be followed. * Explicit Instruction- provides a clear purpose for learning accompanied by clear and understandable directions and explanations. Explicit instruction focuses on the skills and strategies that are needed by students. includes a process that addresses the importance of modeling and demonstration, guided practice, independent practice, maintenance activities, and provisions for generalization. * Intensive Instruction- suggests that sufficient time is allocated to comprehension. Intensive instruction includes a broad scope and sequence, incorporating the active participation of the student in the lessons. Lessons should include many opportunities for the students to try out what they have learned and should also include ample feedback for the students. Accommodations and Modifications for Exceptional Students: * Accommodations- refer to to changes in input and output processes in teaching and learning; they do not minimize course or task itself. Examples: extended testing time or a distraction reduced test setting * Modifications- refer to changes in content or standards; they change the course content or task itself. Examples: in a college level course in foreign language might include the substitution of the study of culture for the language instruction requirement. 1.Key Elements of Differentiated Instruction * Setting Differentiation- refers to a way a classroom is setup, organized, and utilized * Content Differentiation- reducing the amount of content that is covered, altering the content that is covered, or adding additional content that needs to be covered. * Materials Differentiation- variety of materials are used in the school setting, including print material as well as non print material. * Instructional Differentiation- basic elements on how a teacher provides instruction and what students have to do as a result of that instruction. 2.Instructional Differentiation * Instructional Delivery Adjustments- location, multisensory experiences, lecture-related tactics, instructional variation, student input, student response options. * Product and Assignment Adjustments- using a variety of work product options. * Homework Adjustments- assign homework from the beginning of the year, establish a class routine, communicate consequences, minimize demands on teacher time, present instructions clearly, use assignment books, evaluate assignments, help students recognize the value of the assignment, adapt assignments, develop self regulation skills, consider student preferences, communicate with parents. * Testing Adjustments- test preparation, test construction, test administration time, form of response, site of testing, forms of feedback, curriculum modification, use of portfolio, use checklists, development of shared grading approaches * Grading Adjustments- required form of student evaluation. Alter grading criteria, supplementing number and letter grades, providing alternatives to letter or number grades. Tools and Resources: * Screen Readers- software programs that allow blind or visually impaired users to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthesizer. * Word Talk- this program can read aloud any document written in Word and create audio files that can be saved. * Word Prediction- include a number of different applications, some of which can be downloaded from the Internet, are available to help students with writing challenges. Word predictors “can help a user during word processing by ‘predicting’ a word the user intends to type. * Video Magnifiers- uses a video camera to display a magnified image on a monitor or television screen. Students with low vision can use them to read their course materials with greater ease.